Torn by Amanda Hocking

 

When Wendy Everly first discovers the truth about herself—that she’s a changeling switched at birth—she knows her life will never be the same. Now she’s about to learn that there’s more to the story…

She shares a closer connection to her Vittra rivals than she ever imagined—and they’ll stop at nothing to lure her to their side. With the threat of war looming, her only hope of saving the Trylle is to master her magical powers—and marry an equally powerful royal. But that means walking away from Finn, her handsome bodyguard who’s strictly off limits…and Loki, a Vittra prince with whom she shares a growing attraction.

Torn between her heart and her people, between love and duty, Wendy must decide her fate. If she makes the wrong choice, she could lose everything, and everybody, she’s ever wanted…in both worlds.

My Thoughts:

Well, I read this second book in literally (takes out the calculator) 7 hours-ish. 

Yes, I ripped through this book in literally less than a day. And that's very rare for me to do since a) I'm a picky little reader and b) I don't usually have the time. 

Once I picked this book up it was literally painful for me to put it down. I think it barely left my hand to be honest. 

Since I don't want to ruin the book for y'all, I'll list the negatives and positives.

Positives:

1. One word: Loki

Yes, I absolutely ADORED this character which is strange because in real life I would hate him. Literally loath him since he's an arrogant jerk who knows he's incredibly drop dead gorgeous (which made me want to gag in a few places but then I laughed too).

So I have to admit, Amanda Hocking did an excellent job giving us a taste of personality without having me hate him. Then again, he has a great sense of humor. I loved how he slaughtered Finn's name! I had to stop and laugh out loud at that one. Then read it again with a smile. That was too funny! 

Anyway, I have to applaud Amanda Hocking on making a normally annoying guy into a guy I would actually like to know more about. 

Btw, I kept wondering why I kept bumping into Loki's name and I figured out why: Loki is the god of mischief. In myth anyway. And yes, I learned that off the movie Thor. :) Anyway, Loki ABSOLUTELY lives up to his name! Omg, he really lives up to his name 1000%.

2. The Editing has improved

I have to say the only typo I found was so minimal I barely caught it. My teacher antennas went up so yeah. Anyway, I'm very very very happy that the editors actually did their job this time and swept through it with a fine tooth comb. So yippee!

3. Plot Thickens

The whole reason behind why Vitten hunting Wendy down like a dog makes a whole lot of sense. And most of the plot only deepens as the story goes along. There was only one snag as far as I'm concerned. I'll mention it in the negatives later.

4. Relationships Deepen

I love how Amanda Hocking intertwines all of the relationships together and makes them stronger or weaker as we go along. And seeing them develop and take shape is fascinating to me. Especially as new relationships develop. 

And no, I'm not going to tell you about Finn and Wendy. You'll have to find out about what happens to them yourself. :) 

 

5. Twists and Turns

Hocking definitely threw some curveballs in there. Some of the curve balls she threw at me I never saw coming. I mean some of them made sense but others I was like woah. Epic. So yeah. 

6. Great Theme

I love the topics she addressed in the book and with such deepthness. It struck home for me. A little too close to home, but it struck home nonetheless. So yeah, I really appreciate it when an author can deliver a message about life with a light tough and in a non-preachy matter.

Negative:

1. Solution to the Problem

I thought the solution to the problem presented was an easy one. I won't say what I thought since Amanda Hocking kindly explains to me why my solution won't work. I still think it was a weak excuse to the problem, but I'll leave it alone. At least she addressed it in a reasonable way.

2. Pace

The pace was a bit off for me. It was fast in places I wish she would slow down. It's almost like she rushed some stuff because she had a deadline to meet and I hate to see authors do that. Drives me absolutely crazy. Then again, she was self-publishing first so I don't see why the pace was off since the books are the same (I think). So yeah. That confused me a bit.

Overall: Would I recommend this book?

Absolutely! I would suggest you read the first book (of course) and I can assure you that the second book is ten times better.

The age group is wide open since there's nothing that leaps out at me that would be inappropiate for  my students (who I think can handle the subject matter at 13) so it's a win win. 

Enjoy and thank me later!